1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a recording medium and an information processing method.
2. Related Art
As more and more functions have become available for image processing apparatuses which provide various functions like a multiple function processing machine, an increasingly greater number of operating parts (operating buttons) have been provided for the apparatuses. As a result, it has become impossible for the apparatuses to display all the operating buttons on one operating screen displayed on a display screen (for example, an operating panel) at a time. Generally, the apparatuses are adapted to allocate the operating buttons to plural operating screens and hierarchically manage the operating screens to cope with the matter. The apparatuses are adapted to enable a user to display and select a desired operating button by switching operating screens displayed on the operating panel.
Some image processing apparatuses have been provided with a function of changing a default setting of the apparatuses according to user's intention (hereinafter referred to as a “customizing function”). The apparatuses enable the user to customize the operating screens by using the customizing function. Some of the apparatuses enable the user to combine plural basic functions to generate one combined function and allocate the generated combined function to one operating button by using the customizing function. For example, some apparatuses serially provide plural basic functions in one operation such that the user can transfer image data scanned by a scanner to a specified destination by facsimile, by enabling the user to allocate a combined function, which is a combination of two basic functions of a scanning function and a facsimile function, to an operating button (hereinafter referred to as a “combined function button” and operate the combined function button.
A user is not allowed to use all of the functions provided by the image processing apparatuses in some circumstances, however. Many of the apparatuses are provided with a security guard such as requiring a user to be authenticated to use the apparatuses. Each of the apparatuses is adapted to be set whether it requires a user to be authenticated for each of the operating buttons and each of the operating screens when the operating screens are generated. If the apparatus is set to require a user to be authenticated when the user is to operate an operating button, that operating button is allocated to a predetermined operating screen and then set to require user authentication. When the user selects the operating button to which a function limited for the user is allocated (hereinafter referred to as an “authentication required function button”), the apparatus requires user authentication, such as by displaying a user authentication confirmation screen for prompting the user to input a user ID and a password.
In the related arts, whether the user authentication is required or not is set for each of buttons each time the button is allocated. If the setting is incompletely done, it results in such inconsistency as the user authentication being required when a certain operating button is operated but not required when another operating button is operated.